CBN Governor, Lamido Sanusi
| credits: File copy
| credits: File copy
THE
Niger State Commissioner for Finance, Kpako Bello, on Thursday
expressed fears that should the indices that affected the inflow of
income into the Federation Account last year persists, it will be
difficult for the state to pick up its bills.
The commissioner, at a press briefing on
the state’s 2014 Appropriation Bill, said anything thing that affects
income at the federal level would shake the states due to
over-dependence on oil revenue.
He said, “In December 2013, we gathered
for FAC Meeting and nobody was there to answer us because there was no
money and we had to wait for five days before the meeting held. This
kind of problem resulted in many states, including us, not being able to
pay salaries for five months.
“The truth is, we are afraid that if
this trend continues this year, many states, including us in Niger, may
find it hard to pay salaries.”
Bello attributed the drop in federal income to oil theft at source; theft at point of sale, as well as after sales of the oil.
He added, “We have several reasons to
believe what the Governor of Central Bank, Alhaji Lamido Sanusi, said
that $49.8bn is ‘unaccounted for’, but it’s just that we have no
boldness to come out and support him that huge figures even more than
what he said are missing.”
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